Read More

Wiltshire Police statement in full

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable, Craig Holden, issued the following statement at a press conference in relation to the major incident declared in Salisbury: "Yesterday afternoon, at approximately 4.15pm, we received a call from a member of the public who was concerned for the welfare of two people.

"The two people - a man aged in his 60s, and a woman aged in her 30s - were found unconscious on a bench in The Maltings in Salisbury.

"Officers, as well as colleagues from the ambulance and fire services attended the scene and cordons were put in place.

"The pair, who we believe are known to each other, did not have any visible injuries and were taken to Salisbury District Hospital. They are currently being treated for suspected exposure to an unknown substance. Both are currently in a critical condition in intensive care.

"Because we are still at the very early stages of the investigation, we are unable to ascertain whether or not a crime has taken place.

"A major incident has been declared today and a multi-agency response has been co-ordinated.

"Alongside our partner agencies, we are conducting some extensive enquiries to determine exactly what led to these two people falling unconscious and clarify whether or not any criminal activity has happened.

"This has not been declared as a counter terrorism (CT) incident and we would urge people not to speculate. However, I must emphasise that we retain an open mind and we will continue to review this position. We have access to a wide range of specialist resources and services that are helping us to understand what we are or aren't dealing with at this time."

"The focus at this moment in time is trying to establish what has caused these people to become critically ill, and we are working with partners to prioritise this diagnosis and ensure that they receive the most appropriate and timely treatment.

"We would continue to appeal to any members of the public who may have information in relation to this incident to contact us immediately via 999. We would like to reassure members of the public that incidents of this nature are taken extremely seriously and we currently do not believe there is any risk to the wider public.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the public who have assisted us so far and respected the cordons which remain in place.

"We will continue to update the public as this incident progresses"

Use the map below to explore the area around The Maltings in Salisbury.

Public Health England

A Public Health England (PHE) spokesman said: "Based on the limited information available there doesn’t appear to be any further immediate risk to public health.

"PHE understands that those exposed to the substances have been decontaminated, as is standard practice in situations like this.

"Scientists from PHE’s Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, will continue to assist the response and review information as it becomes available."

Read More

"If anyone has any information regarding this incident, they should call Wiltshire Police on 999 immediately.

"If anyone is concerned that they may have come into contact with the substance, we would advise that they contact NHS 111 for medical advice."

Statement from Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust

The chief executive of Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, Cara Charles-Barks, said: "In conjunction with our partners, we declared a major incident in response to an incident that took place in Salisbury after it was suspected that two people had been exposed to an unknown substance in Salisbury city centre.

"They are currently being treated here at Salisbury District Hospital and their condition remains critical.

"In terms of the impact on the hospital we have been advising people today to attend routine operations and outpatient appointments unless they are contacted by the hospital and this advice remains the same.

Where is Salisbury District Hospital? Explore the hospital location, a short distance outside the city.

Are you at the scene? Get in touch using michael.taylor@localworld.co.uk or 01935 709742

Read More

Read More

Want news straight to your phone?Somerset Live has launched a WhatsApp group to help you keep up to date with the latest news from across the county. If you'd like to receive breaking news alerts, text NEWS to 07834 893492. Then add the number to your phone contacts book as 'Somerset Live’. We will send you a maximum of four messages a day. Your phone number won't be shared with other members of the group or be used for any other purpose.